Lhanbryde Primary School Nursery Day Care of Children
Garmouth Road Lhanbryde Elgin IV30 8PD
Telephone: 01343 843778
Type of inspection: Unannounced
Completed on: 4 March 2020
Service provided by: Service provider number: The Moray Council SP2003001892
Service no: CS2003016376 Inspection report
About the service
This service has been registered since 2002.
Lhanbryde Primary School Nursery is registered to provide a care service to a maximum of 35 children at any one time aged from three years to those not yet attending primary school.
The service operates from its own premises adjoining the primary school building; it has its own secure play area that is directly accessible from the play room. The service also has use of the adjacent school grounds.
We check services are meeting the principles of Getting it Right for Every Child (also known as GIRFEC, Scotland's national approach to improving outcomes and wellbeing for children by offering the right help at the right time from the right people. It supports them and their parent(s) to work with the services that can help them. There are eight wellbeing indicators at the heart of GIRFEC, safe, healthy, achieving, nurtured, active, respected, responsible and included (also known as SHANARRI).
What people told us
There was a total of 28 children present during the inspection, although numbers fluctuated during the day due to the nature of the service provided. We saw that the children were relaxed, happy and assured. They appeared confident in their play, at times being engaged in play on their own, in pairs or small groups. Children moved between the play areas independently and clearly enjoyed the opportunity to decide if they played inside or outside. Children were excited by the spontaneous request to go to the woods to search for the Gruffalo which they clearly enjoyed. Children told us that they had fun at nursery and liked playing with their friends.
Seven parents returned completed Care Standards Questionnaires. We spoke with six parents face-to- face. Parents had been using the service for variable periods of time; overall they were very happy with the service provided. They found staff approachable and friendly and willing to listen and help if needed. They spoke favourably about the changes to the environment and the improvement made to the service that had made a difference related to the work of the staff team.
Specfic comments included:
'I am really happy with the service and the changes have had a significant impact, I feel confident leaving my child at the nursery' 'my child loves the nursery and has formed great friendships and always looks forward to seeing their teachers' 'overall I am really pleased, it would be nice to have a bit more information at pick up times, particularly what my child has eaten and how they have been' 'all staff have made nursery a hugely enjoyable experience for my child and they have had the help they need' 'a lovely service, I have nothing but positive things to say, the outdoor learning is great'.
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Self assessment
The service had not been asked to complete a self-assessment in advance of the inspection. We looked at their own improvement plan that demonstrated their priorities for development.
From this inspection we graded this service as:
Quality of care and support 5 - Very Good Quality of environment 4 - Good Quality of staffing 4 - Good Quality of management and leadership 5 - Very Good
Quality of care and support
Findings from the inspection We saw that staff had established positive relationships with parents and shared information at drop off and collection times, which helped to support children's health and wellbeing by nurturing a consistent approach between home and the setting. Parents also valued the regular updates and newsletters. Children were being helped to have a natural and real understanding of the SHANARRI indicators, making a difference to their growth and development.
Children were able to make choices about their play which captured their interest through investigation and exploration, whilst taking account of their needs and abilities. Children played well together and worked out theories with each other when using construction materials and being creative. Short group activities enabled children to talk together, listen and share their ideas.
Children were being encouraged to have an understanding of emotions, to share and develop a sense of fairness and respect for each other. Children's contributions were clearly valued and respected through self directed play, the consolidation of floor books (encourage thinking skills through talking together in a group), and responsive interactions with staff during activities.
Children experienced sensitive and meaningful care, helping to build on their confidence and self esteem. The mainly consistent staff team had got to know the children very well. They liaised closely with families to make a positive difference through early intervention, aligning with the GIRFEC approach. The personal care plan for the child monitored their health and wellbeing needs. Due to the implementation of a new method of assessing children's learning and progression, we suggested that a coordinated approach to the review of the personal care plan with parents/carers may be beneficial.
A child protection policy was in place; staff had an understanding of child protection issues and procedures as a result of training, contributing to safeguarding of the children. Documentation was in place to support the safe administration of medication
Children's physical and emotional and social wellbeing was being promoted during active and free flow (indoor/outdoor) play. Snacks and meals consisted of a range of healthy foods which followed nutritional guidance and complied with children's dietary needs and food preferences. Children were involved in the
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preparation of the snack; involving them more widely in the delivery would also provide learning opportunities. Self-help skills were being promoted; children sat in small groups with staff, it was a pleasant and positive social experience.
Requirements Number of requirements: 0
Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0
Grade: 5 - very good
Quality of environment
Findings from the inspection The premises were well maintained, clean and free from hazards, children were able to move around safely and independently. Children were learning about the importance of personal hygiene and how to keep healthy as they were encouraged to wash their hands after using the toilet and before having their snack. Applying consistent practice related to respiratory and nasal hygiene would also help to support best practice and reduce the potential for the spread of infection. Staff had completed first aid training so that children were treated appropriately should an accident occur.
The decor in the play area was calming and lots of natural light supported psychological wellbeing. Consideration had been given to children making their own choices in play and being able to self-select from different resources and materials that were readily accessible. Natural and open ended (no fixed purpose) materials were being introduced. Children enjoyed decorating and painting boxes and using real items in the house corner during imaginary play. A reading area with some cushions provided a break away space from the hub of activities.
Following a programme of refurbishment, the play space remained an area of evaluation so that it best met the needs of the children. Staff were mindful that a more inviting cosy/quiet space/story corner would be beneficial for children to rest and recuperate and a well designed home/role play area was being developed to extend exploratory play. Potential changes to the service provision were also being taken into consideration.
Children clearly enjoyed being able to play outside throughout the session, they were confident in choosing what clothing they needed to wear. The focus and introduction of a weekly forest session and spontaneous visits to a nearby wooded area was helping children to develop skills to recognise and manage risk. We saw that children enjoyed scrambling up and down hills, climbing on a fallen tree and finding natural objects that extended the imagination. The outdoor play area had a digging area and a young child demonstrated determination and concentration when uncovering a small stone that was buried. Natural items such as large sticks, wooden reels, gardening tools and a mud kitchen were helping to support thinking skills. A grassed area with mound was to be available to the children in the near future and continued introduction of loose parts (scrap materials and random objects) would help to extend problem solving and sustained thinking.
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Requirements Number of requirements: 0
Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0
Grade: 4 - good
Quality of staffing
Findings from the inspection Staff had a natural and unassuming manner with the children, creating an environment where children were confident, happy and assured. The motivated and caring approach of mostly qualified and experienced staff was beneficial to improving children's learning and overall wellbeing.
Staff worked well together and shared roles and responsibilities such as snack, group activities and hand over to parents at the end of session. Staff members were gaining confidence in enabling children to take the lead and find things out for themselves, whilst knowing when to intervene to help them to work out their own theories. The staff team had undertaken shared learning related to emotional coaching and zones of regulation. This was helping staff to have a wider understanding of emotions and how to react to feelings in healthy ways and build children's resilience. Staff used kind words in a calm and unhurried manner so that children had time to absorb information.
Parents told us that the friendly and receptive approach of the staff helped them to feel involved and also made a difference to their child's experiences and learning.
Staff had recently participated in an appraisal programme with the manager where practice, personal and professional development was discussed and training needs identified. Staff had taken lead roles related to service improvement such as the story/quiet area, house corner and outdoor learning. A member of staff told us how this had enthused them to research theory and its relation to practice, which they were finding really interesting. The manager also intended to produce a central training plan to target shared learning needs, monitor progress and to inform future supervision and support. The provider was implementing a more robust system of monitoring so that all staff registered with the appropriate regulatory body as per required timescales.
A cohesive culture that supported staff to grow, to feel valued and use their own initiative was being established. Informal discussion and formal meetings between the manager, seniors and staff provided a conduit for staff to influence the service, be self aware and to have the autonomy to experiment. We suggested that recording how training was being used in practice to make a difference to children's experiences would be beneficial for the purposes of self evaluation.
Requirements Number of requirements: 0
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Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0
Grade: 4 - good
Quality of management and leadership
Findings from the inspection The aspirational approach of the peripatetic manager helped to provide strong leadership and a clear direction for the service. The manager was based within the service each week which enabled them to be available to staff, parents and children. The well experienced manager had established a clear overview of the service so that improvements had made a positive impact on service delivery.
Parents told us that that the renovation of the service had made a significant difference and that staff also deserved credit for noted improvements within the service. Overall parents were very happy and happy with the quality of care provided.
Staff were well led and worked effectively together and were clear about their roles/responsibilities, so that a shared vision for the service was being established. Staff considered that there was a strong team ethos. The manager supported staff to improve their own skills and knowledge, to have the autonomy to find things out for themselves and to experiment. This was not only beneficial to the own personal development but to the service provision as a whole, and had created a culture where staff felt valued.
The manager recognised the benefits of involving staff, parents/carers and children in the day-to-day life of the nursery, seeking their views and ideas about improvement. This was particularly evident in relation to the development of the weekly outdoor forest session that had been established. A wider focus on shared family learning also included open access to stay and play and information sessions for parents, linked to early learning and childcare national practice guidance. It was also anticipated that the establishment of a parent as partners group would lead to a better reflection of the service through consultation. We also suggested that children could be more widely involved in the evaluation of and changes to the environment.
Regular and effective staff meetings consisted of a clear minute and action plan with self evaluation, improvement and best practice as standard agenda items that helped to monitor progression. Consolidation of a robust and continuous approach to quality assurance and self evaluation, that collated the views of all those involved would enable adjustments to be made, that helped to sustain improvement.
Requirements Number of requirements: 0
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Recommendations Number of recommendations: 0
Grade: 5 - very good
What the service has done to meet any requirements we made at or since the last inspection
Previous requirements
There are no outstanding requirements.
What the service has done to meet any recommendations we made at or since the last inspection
Previous recommendations
Recommendation 1
We recommend that the service increase the knowledge and understanding of staff regarding best practice guidance in early learning and childcare. This will support them to implement these approaches in the service.
Consideration could be given to: - Developing child led planning approaches. - Developing a rich and enabling play environment. - Increasing children's levels of independence and leadership of learning. - Promoting opportunities to reflect and evaluate on current practice. - Identifying areas for improvement in a meaningful way. - Developing improvement plans to effect change quickly and efficiently.
Specifically, the service could prioritise their reflection and evaluation against the following: - the new Health and Social Care Standards (2016) (www.newcarestandards.scot) - Building the Ambition (2015) (http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0045/00458455.pdf) - How good is our early learning and childcare? (2016) (https://education.gov.scot/improvement/ Documents/ Frameworks_SelfEvaluation/FRWK1_NIHeditSelf-evaluationHGIELC/HGIOELC020316Revised.pdf).
This will ensure children are offered a rich and meaningful experience from staff who understand the most effective ways to meet their needs.
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National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16: Standard 13 - Improving the Service
This recommendation was made on 27 February 2018.
Action taken on previous recommendation Systems had been established so that staff had been able to increases their knowledge and understanding of best practice with the aim of improving outcomes for children. It was anticipated that these would continue to be embedded within the setting.
Recommendation 2
We recommend that the service develop shared leadership roles for staff to increase the pace of change and improvement. This will ensure children have access to high quality experiences quickly and consistently.
Areas which could be covered are: - Attachment led practice and the theory behind this. - Outdoor learning, including use of the local community. - Loose parts play. - Risky play opportunities and its benefits. - Enabling play environments for challenging experiences.
Other areas may be identified through the improvement planning process and these would also give rise to areas for shared leadership. In addition, progress in leadership roles should be closely monitored through the quality assurance processed in the service to measure the impact on outcomes for children.
National Care Standards Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16: Standard 14 - Well-Managed Service
This recommendation was made on 27 February 2018.
Action taken on previous recommendation Staff had greater opportunities to discuss and share practice and they had taken responsibility for specific areas of improvement within the service. A focused and shared approach to improving outdoor learning and risky play was having a positive impact on children's experiences.
Recommendation 3
Management should update administration, recording of medication procedures in line with the current health guidance on the 'Management of Medication in Daycare and Childminding Services'.
This is to ensure that care and support is consistent with the Health and Social Care Standards which state that 'I experience high quality care and support based on relevant evidence, guidance and best practice' (HSCS.4.11) and 'I experience high quality care and support because people have the necessary information and resources.' (HSCS 4.27)
This recommendation was made on 21 May 2019.
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Action taken on previous recommendation The management of medication followed safe practice guidance.
Recommendation 4
Management to develop the personal plans in place for every child, monitoring and linking next steps to planning to ensure health, welfare and safety needs are met and tracked.
This is to ensure that care and support is consistent with the Health and Social Care Standards which state that 'My needs ,as agreed in my personal plan, are fully met, and my wishes and choices are respected' (HSCS 1.23) and 'My care and support meets my needs and is right for me.' (HSCS 1.19)
This recommendation was made on 21 May 2019.
Action taken on previous recommendation Personal plans identified the individual needs of the child.
Complaints
There have been no complaints upheld since the last inspection. Details of any older upheld complaints are published at www.careinspectorate.com.
Enforcement
No enforcement action has been taken against this care service since the last inspection.
Inspection and grading history
Date Type Gradings 19 Mar 2019 Unannounced Care and support 4 - Good Environment 3 - Adequate Staffing 4 - Good Management and leadership 4 - Good
27 Feb 2018 Unannounced Care and support 3 - Adequate Environment Not assessed Staffing 3 - Adequate Management and leadership Not assessed
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Date Type Gradings 4 Nov 2014 Unannounced Care and support 5 - Very good Environment 5 - Very good Staffing 5 - Very good Management and leadership 5 - Very good
8 Nov 2011 Unannounced Care and support 5 - Very good Environment 5 - Very good Staffing 5 - Very good Management and leadership 5 - Very good
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To find out more
This inspection report is published by the Care Inspectorate. You can download this report and others from our website.
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Tha am foillseachadh seo ri fhaighinn ann an cruthannan is cànain eile ma nithear iarrtas.
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